We, the signatories of this petition, call for full and comprehensive dental care services be added to the Veterans Administration Community Care Network.  

On January 17, 2021, Vice President Kamala Harris stated, “Look, health care? The body doesn’t just start from the neck down, it’s also from the neck up.[1]”  In this statement, VP Harris was referring to mental health; however, that statement also applies to dental care. 

Numerous credible research studies reveal the following:

• An association between oral health and periodontal disease with the prevalence of hypertension was identified[2].  
• One study published in Cardiovascular Research in 2020 estimated that people with moderate gum disease are 22% more likely to experience hypertension, with this figure jumping to 49% when looking at patients with severe gum disease. And while things like an unhealthy diet or lack of exercise certainly contribute to hypertension, there’s very much a direct and observable link between the condition and oral wellbeing.[3]
• Adults with periodontitis, a severe gum infection, may be significantly more likely to have higher blood pressure compared to individuals who had healthy gums, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal.[4]

Therefore, we call for full and comprehensive dental care for all Veterans, not just those who fall within specific categories, and we call on policymakers and the Veterans Administration to recognize the urgency of this issue and work together towards providing dental care to all military veterans who have served their country.

 
[1] The Daily Show: Ears Edition with Trevor Noah, 17 Jan 2021
[2] Li, Y., Yuan, X., Zheng, Q. et al. The association of periodontal disease and oral health with hypertension, NHANES 2009–2018. BMC Public Health 23, 1122 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-16012-z (https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-023-16012-z
[3] https://www.rmperiohealth.com/blog/can-gum-disease-lead-to-high-blood-pressure/#:~:text=One%20study%20published%20in%20Cardiovascular,patients%20with%20severe%20gum%20disease
[4] https://newsroom.heart.org/news/people-with-severe-gum-disease-may-be-twice-as-likely-to-have-increased-blood-pressure#:~:text=Research%20Highlights%3A,adults%20could%20have%20undetected%20hypertension